Colombia
Los Rosales
(Espresso Roast)

This coffee is produced by ~50 smallholders that deliver their harvests to Coop Especiales, in the town of Buesaco.

Washed process Caturra, Typica, Castillo, V.Colombia

Flavour: malt, dark chocolate, cookie dough

Body: Acidity:

This coffee lot is made of cherries that ~50 coffee growers deliver to the Coop Especiales warehouse in Buesaco town, in the department of Nariño.

This area is not far from the Pacific Ocean, which has an enormous impact on its climate. The nights are cold, and the days are warm; this slows down the ripening process, giving a distinct sweetness and complexity. In addition, the high altitude in which coffee grows promotes the growth of small, dense beans packed with flavour. It’s not surprising that Nariño is well-known for the quality of its coffee production.

Unlike other regions of Colombia, Nariño has only one harvest season from ~May to ~September.

Caravela Coffee are responsible for selecting and mixing the cherries that make up ‘Los Rosales’. They have been working with local producers since 2015 and have their own warehouses and cupping labs. There, they analyse all the cherries, separating them by quality grade, providing immediate feedback to farmers and paying on the day for the purchased lots.

Caravela named this lot ‘Los Rosales’ (which means 'the rose bushes' in Spanish) inspired by the abundant flower fields that grow in the area, also known for its ornamental plant production.

We’ve been using Los Rosales as a blend component yearly since 2018. Caravela classifies this coffee as grade A (SCA score 84-85, paid 15-25% above market rate).

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: espresso. We normally roast all our single origins omni, but there are some exceptions—this coffee is one of them! The roast profile leans to the darker side of the spectrum, but is still considered lighter when compared to other espresso roasts in the market.

Designed for espresso brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 10–42 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Recommended ratio: 1:2 to 1:2.2 in ~26-32 seconds

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For our espresso roasts, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:2 or 1:2.2:

Dose: 22g ground coffee
Yield: 46–48g espresso
Total brew time: ~26-32 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (espresso roast blends and single origins)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: ~50 Smallholders
Farm/Coop: Coop Especiales, Buesaco
Country: Colombia
Region: Nariño
Altitude: 1700-2100m above sea level
Varieties: Caturra, Typica, Castillo, and V.Colombia
Process: washed
Harvested: July 2024
Country grade: Excelso (Colombia)
Importer Grade: A (Caravela)
Importer: Caravela
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Malt, dark chocolate, cookie dough
Roast style: Espresso (black + milk drinks)

Varieties

Castillo variety

Castillo is named after the researcher Jamie Castillo, who helped develop the varietal in 2005 by Cenicafe, Colombia’s coffee research centre

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

Typica variety

Considered to be one of the ‘genus’ varietals from which all other varietals have mutated from

V.Colombia variety

Also known as “Variedad Colombia”, this varietal was developed by Colombian researchers at Cenicafe by crossing Caturra and Timor Hybrid

The location

Coffee from Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world and benefits greatly from having one of the most unique and complex set of micro-climates of all coffee producing nations.

The Nariño region of Colombia

One of the highest growing regions in Colombia, producing some truly complex coffees

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.